The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
Many have wondered why some of the flicks being tackled by the folks at Cinematic Titanic weren’t addressed during their Mystery Science Theater run. Personally, I’m glad they weren’t – because it would deprive us of the top notch, stellar writing that a fully engaged and broken in Cinematic Titanic is now giving viewers, which comes from years of additional experience. It’s as if movie riffing has gone Bionic, and they’ve got full kung-fu grip, to boot. If you don’t believe me, check out their latest offering – a wretched waste of celluloid called Frankenstein’s Castle Of Freaks (Cinema Titan, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99). GET IT ALREADY!
Kick off the new year in a classy way with a pair of new special editions featuring Audrey Hepburn’s legendary star turns in Breakfast At Tiffany’s and Funny Face (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP each). The 2-disc editions feature audio commentaries, retrospective featurettes, galleries, and the original theatrical trailers.
With all of the stuff that comes in for feature in the shopping guide, being able to take good photos of said collectibles is definitely a plus. The best way to get a good photo is to construct a light box… But who has the time for that? That’s right – none of us. So your best bet is to pick up the handy Portable Photo Studio ($49.99) from ThinkGeek, which has everything you need to take perfect pics – a collapsible lightbox (16″ cubed), 2 tabletop 35 watt photo lights, a tripod, and a nylon carrier for it all. Does that make your life easier?
The UK Channel 4 series Skins (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) makes American shows featuring teenagers – your Gossip Girl or your 90210 – look woefully manufactured. In fact, its edgy storylines are often considered too frank, but there’s no doubt it’s compelling, well-acted drama. Pick up the first season and check it out for yourself. The 3-disc set features video diaries and ancillary storylines.
As with most of these documentaries, there’s much to find fault with in so sweeping a project as Make ‘Em Laugh (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$34.95 SRP) – which attempts to chronicle over one hundred years of American comedy and the comedians that crafted it. Even at 6 hours, there’s much that’s barely touched upon, and much that will surely evoke debate over its inclusion or the amount of attention it receives. Still, it’s a fascinating watch.
Never ones to let a re-release go un-re-released, The Weinstein Company dusts off Jackie Chan’s Supercop (Genius, Rated R, DVD-$19.99 SRP) for a brand new 2-disc special edition. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and interviews with Jackie, Michelle Yeoh, director Stanley Tong, and Jackie’s bodyguard/training partner/co-star.
Relive all of the absurdity found in each in every episode of Walker, Texas Ranger: The Complete Sixth Season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), as Chuck Norris Chuck Norrises everything in sight. The 5-disc set features all 23 episodes.
You know that Blu-Ray has finally arrived as a format when you can purchase a snazzy, high definition copy of a cinema classic like Caligula (Image, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP). Looking better than ever, the 2-disc edition features not only the high-definition discs, but also the standard def. Bonus features include audio commentaries, deleted/alternate scenes, video interviews, a making-of documentary, photographs, trailers, and more.
I had high hopes for Little Britain USA (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) – Matt Lucas and David Walliams transfer of their popular UK sketch series to Yankee shores. Unfortunately, it seems more often than not they went for the easy joke or the tired character, missing all of the fun and excitement that made the first series of the UK run such a delight. Now, it’s just tired panto – which is a shame, since Lucas and Walliams are gifted, every funny performers. Maybe it’s time for them to leave Little Britain behind and try something new. The 2-duisc set features all 6 episodes, plus audio commentaries, a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, a character playlist, and bloopers.
There’s a turgidness to director (and co-writer) Ed Harris’s western Appaloosa (New Line, Rated R, DVD-$28.98 SRP). Based on Robert Parker’s novel, it stars Harris and Viggo Mortensen as a pair of lawmen-for-hire buddies who try to bring a murderer (Jeremy Irons) to justice but have their relationship complicated – and their lives put in danger – by that oldest of distractions, a woman (Renee Zellweger). It should have punch and bite, but it plays more like a 3rd rated Deadwood. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a quartet of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
The residents of the Springfield Retirement Castle will be delighted with the arrival of the complete second season of Andy Griffith’s top flight southern lawyer, Matlock (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The 6-disc set features all 23 episodes, plus alternate endings for the episode “The Hucksters”.
Mysterious abound as we plow through the quartet of episodes features in the second volume of Ben 10: Alien Force (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). The disc also contains a behind-the-scenes featurette.
The third installment is on the way, which means you can now partake of both of the previous installments of Kate Beckisndale doing something or another in both Underworld & Underworld: Evolution (Sony, Rated R, DVD-$19.94 SRP). Bonus features include commentaries, featurettes, outtakes, a documentary, and music videos.
The classic tale of love & power gets a pretty decent update in Brideshead Revisited (Miramax, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP), which very smartly brings in Emma Thompson… Because every project is made better with Emma Thompson. Bonus features include an audio commentary, a featurette, and deleted scenes.
Brad Garrett’s middling sitcom ‘Til Death (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP) comes back for a second season, which also proves to be the start of a retooling year as it would be the last featuring the original concept of Eddie Kaye Thomas and Kat Foster as a young couple “mentored” by the long-married Garrett and Joely Fisher. The 2-disc set features all 18 episodes, plus a look at Garrett’s pre-show antics and a blooper reel.
In the era of elevated morons like Joe the Plumber, a film like Swing Vote (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) – wherein an average slub (Kevin Costner) holds the deciding vote in the presidential election – is somewhat more plausible than it should be. Regardless, it’s not a terribly good flick, and your time can probably be better spent darning socks. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a featurette.
They still insist on releasing the 80’s Alvin & The Chipmunks series in unsatisfying single-disc collections, the latest of which focuses on the boys female counterparts, The Chippettes (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$18.99 SRP). The DVD features 6 episodes starring the trio’s run-ins with the boys.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
##
Comments: None
Leave a Reply |